Category: News

A man convicted of abducting a Tullahoma woman on Jan. 1, 2013 after a New Year’s party was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Billy Joe Nelson was convicted March 25 on charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape, carjacking and robbery. The conviction came at the end of a three day trial held in Coffee County Circuit Court.
He was charged with abducting the woman from the parking lot adjacent to the 41 Bar and Grill located on Hillsboro Boulevard in Manchester in the early hours of Jan 1, 2013.
Nelson was sentenced to serve 20 years for the aggravated rape and 10 years for the aggravated kidnapping charge. He is to serve those consecutive. He was also ordered to serve 10 years for the carjacking and five years on the robbery charge. Those are to be served concurrently with the kidnapping charge. Judge Paul Summers ordered that Nelson serve 100 percent of his sentences for the rape and kidnapping conviction.
Nelson was represented by Manchester Attorney Jeremy Parham while Assistant District Attorney Jason Ponder prosecuted the case.
Ponder stated that he was satisfied with the sentence while Parham plans to file an appeal in the case.

Tennessee honey bees are feeling the sting of a variety of environmental factors.
According to estimates from the University of Tennessee Extension, bees have seen as much as 50 percent of their population decline in recent years.
Professor John Skinner, an apiculturist at the University of Tennessee, says recent rain and cold snaps this spring are making things more difficult.
“They have a lot more mouths to feed, and if we get hit by weather patterns that are rainy for a solid week or 10 days, the bees can consume all of their additional food in the colony and starve to death,” he says. “And it’s at a time when you think ‘Hey the flowers are blooming. It’s springtime. Everything is wonderful.'”
In addition to weather patterns, Skinner says parasitic mites, viruses, fungal diseases and pesticides are also impacting the honey bee population. A study released this month by Newcastle University in England finds some bees are “addicted” to nectar that contains pesticides. Pesticides are known to scramble a bee’s memory and navigation functions.
Charles Foutch, member of the Jackson Area Beekeepers Association, has kept bees for the last 60 years.
“I often say it’s easier to find a four-leaf clover than it is a honey bee,” he says. “So unless you have a colony of bees close by, you’re not going to see any bees in this neighborhood.”
Foutch says the increasing price of honey is also tempting beekeepers to over-harvest, leaving bees without enough nourishment to survive.
“They think they leave enough for the bees to survive through the winter,” says Foutch. “But if you have a hard winter you find out next spring you’ve lost some of them, so they’ve starved to death.”
You can help bees by choosing plants for your yard that attract bees like wildflowers, flowering herbs, berries, sunflowers and more. Grouping similar plants together is also helpful to the insect.

On Tuesday morning a student at Coffee County High School found a threatening note and notified school administration. Dr. Ladonna McFall, Director of Coffee County Schools, said, “We had someone write on a wall ‘threatening the building.’” Students were evacuated just after 11am from the school via a fire drill.

Manchester Police and the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department searched the building as a precaution.
Authorities gave the building the “all clear” around 12:30pm and students were allowed back in the building and returned to their classroom.
An investigation into who left the note is ongoing.

Shelbyville Central High School was the victim of a bomb threat Tuesday morning — one of several apparent copy-cat incidents that have occurred at schools in Middle Tennessee over the past week.
Shelbyville school administrators say that a message was left on a girl’s restroom wall that said a bomb was planted in a backpack in the building. No device was found at the Bedford County school.

A Coffee County woman is charged with TennCare fraud involving doctor shopping or using TennCare to go to multiple doctors in a short time period to obtain prescriptions for controlled substances.
So far in April, 36 people have been charged with TennCare fraud by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), more than any month since the agency began in 2005.
The OIG announced the arrest of Terri L. Shearon, 42, of Hillsboro. The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office assisted in this arrest.
Shearon is accused in a Coffee County indictment with three counts of doctor shopping for controlled substances, using TennCare as payment. The drugs involved were the painkillers Percocet, Lortab, and Hydrocodone. TennCare paid for either the clinical visits or the prescriptions.
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony, carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge. District Attorney General Craig Northcott is prosecuting.
The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to over $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of over $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,355 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.
Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tn.gov/tnoig/ and follow the prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”

For the first time in 127 days, the national average price for regular unleaded gasoline exceeded $2.50 per gallon on Friday. Sunday’s price of $2.53 per gallon represents an increase of 8 cents per gallon in comparison to last Sunday, and the national average has moved higher for 12 consecutive days.
“Motorists haven’t seen prices this high since December,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Unfortunately, oil prices have been trending higher and that keeps upward pressure on the price of gasoline. Prices are likely to continue inching upward approaching the start of the summer driving season, which is not uncommon for this time of year as refineries transition to the more expensive summer-blend gasoline.”
At the close of last Friday’s formal trading on the NYMEX, WTI settled down 59 cents at $57.15 per barrel.
Meanwhile, the average price of gasoline remains more than a dollar cheaper than this time last year, and is still not expected to exceed $3 a gallon this year.
The low price in Manchester jumped to $2.43 Tuesday afternoon and in Tullahoma the low price is $2.29 per gallon.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released its 2014 ‘Crime in Tennessee’ report.
The annual study compiles data reported from each law enforcement agency in the state, providing an updated and comprehensive picture of the successes and challenges facing communities across Tennessee.
Among the report’s findings:
• Overall, reported incidents dropped in the Group A (counted by offenses) category by 2.4% and by 2.5% in the Group B (counted by arrestees) category.
• Domestic Violence offenses made up 51% of all offenses in the category of ‘Crimes Against Persons.’
• Reported murders increased by 9.9% in 2014.
• Weapon Law Violations decreased by 2.5% in 2014.
• Law enforcement departments arrested 26,810 for DUI in 2014, representing a 0.4% increase from the previous year.
“We’re extremely thankful for our dedicated law enforcement partners,” said TBI Director Mark Gwyn. “Together, they helped us compile a thorough snapshot of crime in Tennessee. We now hope every department takes this information and works to further address the key crime issues facing their communities and our state.”

The Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition, due to unforeseen circumstances, has re-schedule the spring drug take back event. The Drug Take Back, in partnership with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, Manchester Police Department, and Tullahoma Police Department, will be Saturday, May 16, 2015 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, locations TBD.
If you would like to volunteer please contact the coalition at 931-570-4484. Volunteers will be needed in Manchester and Tullahoma to welcome take back participants, take in medications, count abusables, or conduct participant surveys.

Manchester Police are investigating a break-in that was discovered Monday morning at Russell Stover Candies located on Hillsboro Blvd.
According to Manchester Chief Investigator Billy Butler, the thieves entered the store through a back door and they attempted to break into the store’s safe but were unable to get into it. The investigator said that store officials do not think anything was taken.
Butler stated that Investigator Butch Stewart is investigating the incident. WMSR News will report to you when an arrest is made.

Jeremiah James Vandagriff of Manchester has been charged with burglary and at last report was being held in the Coffee County Jail under a bond of $75,000.
The 32 year-old Vandagriff, of West Toliver Road was arrested April 24 for the burglary of the residence of Sally Berryman located on Powers Bridge Road in Manchester.
Vandagriff is accused of entering the residence and taking jewelry from the home.
Berryman discovered jewelry missing on April 15 and reported it to the sheriff’s department.
Investigator Larry Floyd charged Vandagriff the past Friday (April 24). He is set to appear in Coffee County General Sessions Court May 4.
Vandagriff who was once a Coffee County Constable and volunteer fireman, confessed to a separate crime in the fall of last year.